The distinguished history of the USS ArkansasBy the beginning of the 20th century, the United States had built one of the most powerful navies in the world. The battleship USS Arkansas, designated BB-33 by the Navy, was an achievement for the expanding power of the U.S. Navy. During its career, the USS Arkansas and its crew would distinguish itself at some of the most important events of the early 20th century. Several others had the name of the Natural State. During the Civil War, both ...

Burglary suspects make poor getawayGeorgia authorities said two suspects in a drug store burglary chose one of the worst possible places to make their getaway — the police station. Police said the men ran from the business, ending up at the back gate of the Roswell police station. Roswell police said an officer on patrol heard an alarm coming from the Wender and Roberts Pharmacy around 3:30 a.m. Wednesday. Police said the officer spotted three men wearing masks and gloves run f...

History Minute: Gwaltney became prominent writerArkansas has produced many writers who have made rich contributions to American literature, including Francis Irby Gwaltney. Though not remembered by many, Gwaltney enjoyed a distinguished career as a novelist. Gwaltney was born in the small community of Traskwood in Saline County on September 9, 1921. However, tragedy visited the family early and often. In 1923, his father, a respected doctor, died. His mother moved him and his two siblings t...

Life of Congressman Samuel West PeelSamuel West Peel led a life that brought him from destruction to wealth and the halls of Congress. In the process, Peel became the first man born in Arkansas to represent Arkansas in Congress. He was born into a farming family in Independence County in North-Central Arkansas in 1831. After his mother died in 1835, he and his father moved west to what had been the growing community of Carrollton in Carroll County, where his father remarried and...

History Minute: ‘Goose’ Tatum brought joy around the world“My goal in life is to make people laugh,” once remarked Arkansan Reece “Goose” Tatum. As the “clown prince of basketball” and part of the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters, Tatum brought laughter to millions. Tatum was born in El Dorado in May 1921, the fifth of seven children born to Ben and Alice Tatum. His father worked as a preacher and farmer while also working at local sawmills. He attended El Dorado schools, eventually attending what w...

History Minute The changing mascots of Arkansas teamsImagine a time when Arkansas called the Cardinals and Arkansas State University cheered on the Gorillas. This is part of the colorful story of college mascots in Arkansas. While the University of Arkansas was organized in 1871, it was several years before competitive sports began. The earliest records indicate that students organized the first football team in 1894, with the official colors as white and cardinal red. The Cardinal nickname spre...

His glorious titleA couple weeks ago my mom told me the news: an uncle of mine was moving back to Iowa. He’s apparently done well in the corporation he’s worked for the past couple decades. The head noticed, and asked him to consider moving to take a position with increased responsibility. Of course, that also means he’ll have some great, new job title. Roughly 20 men and women would like American voters to do much the same for them come next November. Each of ...

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BY REV. NICHOLAS DAVELAARThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

History Minute: Ray Winder of the Arkansas TravelersBaseball has been called the national pastime by fans and writers alike. Minor League Baseball in Arkansas owes its existence to Ray Winder, the longtime general manager and part owner of the Arkansas Travelers. Winder was born in Indiana and was a baseball fan his entire life. In 1915, Winder was hired by the Little Rock Travelers as a ticket seller. The team had originally formed in 1901, only to shut down in 1909. They were attempting to re...

Moving closer to autumnThe Arkansas River Valley received some much needed rain this week as other counties across the state were just starting to issue burn bans, and the dry conditions were definitely starting to worsen. August has always been a happening month for me as it means summer is winding down, and school is about to start. It also means that fall and the hunting seasons are quickly approaching. Fall is, without a doubt, my favorite time of the year. The ...

History Minute Maud CrawfordHer life was one of remarkable accomplishment in a time when women had few opportunities. However, the disappearance of Maud Robinson Crawford of Camden in 1957 overshadowed her accomplishments in life and has left many questions unanswered in the decades since. Maud Robinson was born in East Texas in 1891. After her mother’s death in 1900, she came to live with her grandmother in Warren. In 1911, she was valedictorian of her high school class...

Man guilty of assault gets life — in matrimonyAn East Texas man who pleaded guilty to assaulting his girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend was sentenced to life — in matrimony. Josten Bundy, 21, pleaded guilty on July 2 to assault with bodily injury for a February fistfight with the ex-boyfriend of Elizabeth Jaynes, 19. Bundy reported the ex was “saying disrespectful things” about Jaynes and admitted he eventually punched the ex in the jaw. Smith County Court-at-Law Judge Randall Rogers asked Bundy d...

Best times come when you’re just passing throughIt is funny how fate sometimes plays a huge role in people’s lives. We all have our day-to-day routines and usually know what to expect from one day to the next, but then all of sudden something out of the ordinary happens. Just this past week I had one of those vey experiences, and it turned out to be a couple of the best days of my whole summer break. This past Sunday it was too hot to be fishing, hunting or even playing golf, so I was hangi...

History Minute Matthew LyonMatthew Lyon lived a life that made him a witness to some of the most important events and figures of early American History. He was a veteran of the American Revolution, a pioneer, writer, and respected famous politician in an age that included such American giants as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison. And his journey would take him all the way to Arkansas. Lyon was born in Ireland in 1749 to a desperately poor family. At...

The apex of futilityLast year The New York Times ran a story about Michael Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York. It focused on his recent work on a number of social causes. The story itself was predictable, except for the following paragraph, which came at the very end. “But if he senses that he may not have as much time left as he would like, he has little doubt about what would await him at a Judgment Day. Pointing to his work on gun safety, obesity and smok...

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Rev. Nicholas DavelaarThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Victory over temptationI am not sure I am ready to declare that temptation to evil is good but it is certainly clear that it is often used by God for good. Immediately following the baptism of Jesus, the Holy Spirit sent Him into the wilderness for the express purpose of being tempted by Satan. Because Jesus quotes from Deuteronomy chapter eight during the temptations, and because both Israel and Jesus were in the wilderness during times of temptations, it seems tha...

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By Pastor Steve EllisonThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

The mysterious ‘R’ Club inquiryWhen I told my coworker, Ryan Smith, that I was going to spend some time in the morgue, he jumped out of his seat. "The morgue? Like, dead bodies?" "More like dead newspapers," I replied. Just through the front entrance, in a room behind the glowing green "The Courier" sign, are thousands of old newspapers, bound together and dusty like ancient tomes. We delve into this archive from time to time when we want to run an old photograph. This is w...

Was he a robber or a flasher? Police say this guy decided to be bothPolice said a Pennsylvania robbery suspect has diversified his criminal portfolio by exposing himself to a shop owner before taking cash and a women’s outfit from a clothing store. Richland Township police Detective Kevin Gaudlip said Tuesday’s heist at the King and Queen Shoppe near Johnstown “was more than just your typical robbery.” Police said the man walked into the store and exposed himself. The befuddled store owner nonetheless helped h...

5 unbelievable reasons clickbait has ruined everything5. No one cares about content In the days of yore, newspapers reckoned (or discovered) that readers read a headline, cutline and the first paragraph of a story — and that's basically all. Unless something hooked them into reading the rest, that's all a reader was willing to give you. So, much thought was put into the content placed in those sections. Newspapers wanted readers to read entire stories, so they devised strategies to draw readers i...

Are schools’ confederate mascots an issue?The Fort Smith School Board passed a motion Tuesday night to ban the Southside High School fight song “Dixie” starting in the 2015-16 school year. The school also plans to remove the rebel mascot in the 2016-17 season. This isn’t the first time a school or a team has elected to abandon controversial mascot characters — Ole Miss abandoned Colonel Reb in 2010 for the Rebel Black Bear, which won a voting contest against the likes of Admiral Ackba...

Feature makes it convenient to find your representativeLITTLE ROCK — The House has launched an improved feature on its website designed to help Arkansans locate their representative, find contact information and learn more about the House districts in our state. Our website has always featured a “Find Your Rep” search tool at the top of the page. Now we have improved that function significantly to show you your representative, his or her picture and contact information, and maps that allow you to ...